


See The Boys As They Walk On By

by aokayinspace



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Bisexual Kyle Valenti, M/M, mentions of alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26021626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aokayinspace/pseuds/aokayinspace
Summary: Kyle gets hit on while at Planet 7 and for the first time since he started hanging out there decides not to shrug it off and see where the night goes.
Relationships: Forrest Long/Kyle Valenti
Comments: 12
Kudos: 33





	See The Boys As They Walk On By

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic is basically what came out of me falling deep into a hyperfixation of Kyle discovering his bisexuality one night while also listening to Orville Peck on repeat. It sparked a tumblr post of headcanons that wouldn't leave my mind, then I got the idea for the opening line of this fic while watching Schitt's Creek one night and it just kinda went from there. A few other Schitt's Creek references accidentally slipped in so have fun finding those too.
> 
> Also I kinda forgot Steph existed when I started writing this so uh just some handwaving on canon timeline stuff. Not like the show's timeline actually makes a ton of sense anyway. 
> 
> Title from Dead of Night by Orville Peck

“Great sweater by the way. Really brings out your lips.”

Kyle’s mouth hung open as he turned toward the source of the voice. The blue haired man that had just walked up next to him at the bar was looking right at him.

“Uh…thanks?” Kyle didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, but his brain had been temporarily taken offline while processing that line. It’s not that he wasn’t used to come ons. It had just been a long time since he was so openly hit on by a man. The warmth beneath his chest that was growing rapidly came as a surprise. But a welcome surprise.

Even though Kyle occasionally chose to patron Roswell’s one and only gay bar, he’d never actually opened up to anyone in town about the things he discovered about himself while we was away at med school. It was all too easy to fall back into the person everyone expected him to be when he returned. The confident, sorta of cocky, _straight_ guy, but as less of an asshole than his teenage self. 

He knew he felt safe at Planet 7, and he probably could have had opportunities before if he opened himself up to them. There had been glances from men since he started coming here, but something had always been keeping him back, so he shrugged them off. It was easier just to play into everyone’s assumptions. Roswell wasn’t exactly the most accepting place to those who were different. And other than the brief reconnection with Liz when she returned, it’s not like Kyle was really doing all that much dating in Roswell anyway. But for the first time in years, Kyle was feeling like maybe he didn’t want to hide anymore. Maybe he wanted the world to know his truest self.

He remembered how freeing it was the first time he kissed a boy, that summer after his first year of med school. Weights he didn’t even know were holding him down were lifted from his shoulders. The idea of feeling like that again was incredibly appealing, even if it didn’t go anywhere. So he made the decision right then and there that he was going to lean into this moment and just see what happened.

His face must have gone on a journey that outlined his brief little panic moment before he was able to school his expression back to neutral because the blue haired man was apologizing.

“Sorry if that came on kind of strong. I--”

“No,” Kyle cut in, fully turning toward the man showing him with his body language he was interested. “I guess I’m just out of practice.”

The blue haired man dipped his eyes suggestively down Kyle’s body, then back up with a raised eyebrow. Kyle felt the heat rise up the back of his neck at that look and just hoped the lights of the bar were dim enough to hide his flush. 

“Seriously?” 

Kyle nodded and let out a short, clipped laugh. “Yeah. The most action I usually get these days is the old ladies at the hospital trying to pinch my ass.”

“Just the ladies?” There was that suggestive, questioning eyebrow again.

“Yeah um…” Kyle nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “No one in Roswell knows I’m bi.”

The words felt like a relief coming out of his mouth. It wasn’t the first time he’d spoken those words out loud, but it was the first time in years, and the first time in his hometown.

“But this is a gay bar.”

“Yeah?”

“So you’re telling me a guy as hot as you, hangs out in a gay bar, and what? People assume you’re straight?”

“Well...mostly...yeah.” Kyle shrugged. 

“I always knew there was something deeply wrong with this town, but that’s a damn shame. Or maybe just my luck.” Then, the blue haired man held out his hand and introduced himself. “I’m Forrest by the way.”

“Kyle.”

“So, Kyle, let’s say I wanted to kiss you, would that be okay? Or does that go against your ‘perceived straight guy image’?” 

“No. Please.” Kyle was already a little breathless and leaning closer to Forrest. “I think I’m tired of hiding. Just…”

“Good.” Forrest closed the gap between them, lips brushing softly at first against Kyle’s, who almost immediately opened up to Forrest, deepening the kiss. Kyle hummed happily as they parted, eyes staying closed for just a few seconds longer, fully basking in that kiss and committing it to memory.

“Thank you,” Kyle said, after he finally opened his eyes to see Forrest smiling back at him.

“For what?”

“For reminding me what that’s like. I don’t think I fully realized how much I was hiding and lying to myself until you walked up to me with that...um bold line.”

“Heh, yeah. I heard someone use that line once. It didn’t work for them, but I thought it was funny and worth a shot.”

“Honestly, had that line not caught me completely off guard, I probably would have brushed it off. It might not work again, but it was...effective.”

Forrest and Kyle made easy conversation while they drank their drinks. Finally it came time to decide on another round of drinks, a change of scenery, or an end to the evening.

“So, Kyle, do you wanna get out of here?” Forrest suggested. This time it was Kyle’s turn to raise an eyebrow in question. “I just meant like getting food somewhere. I wasn’t going to presume anything else...not that I would be opposed.”

Kyle could feel himself start to blush again. He also would not be opposed...in the future, but he didn’t think he was ready to go jumping into bed with a guy tonight. “Okay. Yeah. Food sounds good.” Then he added, “Anywhere but the Crashdown though. My ex and sister’s dad owns the place and everyone I know hangs out there, and," he paused, "it’s not that I want this,” Kyle gestured between the two of them, “to be a secret, but it would be nice to see where it goes without prying eyes--”

“Wait, back up a second. Your ex and sister’s dad? Please tell me you did not date your sister? Because that might just be a deal breaker!”

Kyle laughed. He probably wouldn’t have let something like that slip out casually under normal circumstances, but he was a little drunk on tequila and a lot drunk on Forrest so his lips were a little looser than normal.

“No! Of course not. Um...so I kinda recently found out my dad had an affair with Liz’s mom back in the 80s so her sister is also my half sister. Liz, my ex, and I are definitely not related. She compared our DNA." Forrest was giving him an amused questioning look. "But I don’t really think crazy family drama is really first date material.”

“Oh so this is a date now?”

“Um, I was kinda hoping it was.”

“Good, because I definitely was asking you out.”

“So, where to?”

“I have an idea.”

Forrest drove, since Kyle didn’t trust himself behind the wheel in his current state of intoxication. They stopped at a gas station and loaded up on a feast of snacks and junk food. Then Forrest drove them out to the middle of the desert, where they sat in the back of his truck, under the stars, getting to know each other a little better, free from prying eyes.

“How long is this movie again?” Kyle asked, returning from the kitchen where he was making popcorn.

“Like 2ish hours. I think. Same as the others. Why?”

“Rosa just texted. The grant money for Liz’s new research project just came through so they’re throwing an impromptu party at the Crashdown after closing.”

“So you want to postpone movie night?”

Kyle set the popcorn down on the coffee table, then sat back down, positioning himself so he was turned toward Forrest instead of the tv.

“Yeah. But I was more thinking you’d maybe want to come to the Crashdown with me. You could meet everyone.”

Forrest gave Kyle one of his famous eyebrow raises. He didn’t need to voice the question for Kyle to know what the eyebrow meant.

“I want you to meet my friends,” Kyle responded, not quite answering the question he knew Forrest was wordlessly asking. 

“This is more than just introducing your boyfriend to your friends and you know it.”

“My boyfriend? Huh?” Kyle couldn’t help the wide smile that formed on his face as those words left his mouth. He was also trying hard not to laugh at the shell-shocked look on Forrest’s face. Clearly he didn’t mean for that word to slip out so casually.

“Shit. I—” 

Kyle leaned in and cut him off with a kiss. “I want my _boyfriend_ to meet my friends.” He emphasized the word “boyfriend” making it very clear he was good with the label.

“Okay then. Let’s go.” 

Since movie night was postponed, they found other activities to fill the time before they had to head over to the Crashdown. 

Kyle pulled into the Crashdown parking lot just after 10:00.

“Ready?” He asked Forrest, who replied with a nod as they exited the car.

After a few paces, Kyle reached out and grabbed Forrest’s wrist, bringing him to a stop. Before Forrest could ask if Kyle was having second thoughts, however, Kyle pulled him in for a long, lingering kiss. Even though he was ready to do this, he was still a little nervous, and kissing Forrest was still new enough that the rush of endorphins it gave him was gonna give Kyle that extra boost of calm he needed.

They were startled apart by the sound of a throat clearing.

“Oh. Alex. Umm...hi.” Kyle then lowered his head to hide his face in Forrest’s shoulder, suddenly a bit embarrassed at being caught making out with his boyfriend in the parking lot. 

“Pissing off bigots?” Alex asked with a light teasing tone to his voice. 

Kyle raised his head confused about the comment. Forrest just laughed and replied, “Nah. Not today anyway. Though the night is young.” Then to Kyle’s questioning look, he just said, “Inside joke.”

Kyle looked between Forrest and Alex. He knew they had met, but he didn’t realize they knew each other more than just the occasional passing interaction in town. “I wasn’t aware you two knew each other well enough to _have_ inside jokes.”

“Seems like there is a lot of that going around,” Alex replied with a pointed eyebrow raise at Kyle.

Then a piece connected in Kyle’s brain. “Wait! Alex was the guy you told me about that you said you went on a date with but wasn’t ready to be out.” Forrest nodded. “But you knew we were friends.”

“Yeah,” Forrest replied, “But I also didn’t know if you knew about him so I wasn’t going to out him without his permission. Especially knowing _you_ hadn’t told anyone in Roswell yet.”

Kyle considered that. He couldn’t argue with that logic. “Okay. Yeah. That’s fair.” Then he gave Forrest a quick kiss on the lips because he could, and because he has the kindest, sweetest boyfriend, and because he still isn’t quite sure how he got so lucky.

Kyle could feel Alex’s eyes on them, though he wasn’t saying anything. If Kyle had to describe the look on Alex’s face, he’d probably call it amused. Maybe he should have been more surprised by the fact Alex didn’t seem to be all that surprised. But then again, if anyone knew what it was like to be queer in Roswell and fly under the radar, it was Alex. “To answer the questions I’m sure you want to ask. I’m bi. Kinda figured that out in med school but kept it to myself when I moved back here until I met Forrest. We’ve been together for two weeks. And we were gonna tell everyone tonight so you’re the first to know.”

Alex smiled, a real genuine smile. Not the fake one he usually put up as a front. “This might take some getting used to, but I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

“Thanks.”

“Well I’m gonna head in. I’ll see you guys in there.”

After Alex went inside, Kyle took Forrest’s hand and led him toward the door. He was already feeling lighter now that Alex knew. Like there was a crack in the dam he’d built up inside and it was only a matter of time before the water was allowed to flow freely again.

They were the last to arrive, which Kyle tried to time purposefully. No one was really paying attention when Kyle and Forrest walked in, everyone already occupied doing something, whether it be dancing, drinking, eating, or just chatting. 

“So, this is my boyfriend, Forrest,” Kyle said loud enough to be heard over the jukebox. His smile grew even wider as he said “boyfriend” since it was still new enough to have that effect.

It took a moment for that statement to sink in and people to react. Rosa was first, who shoved Kyle in the arm since she also happened to be closest to him.

“Ow,” Kyle said, even though it didn’t hurt. “What was that for?” He could tell she was trying hard not to smile, so he wasn’t worried. Not that he was ever really worried about how this group would react to finding out he wasn’t straight. Most of the people in the room weren’t straight.

“You can’t just walk in here all casually and drop a bomb like that!” Then she turned to Forrest, face turning serious. “And you. You hurt him, I hurt you.”

“Rosa,” Kyle reprimanded.

“What? Like I didn’t give you the same speech when you started dating Liz. It’s a right of passage to have your older sister give the shovel talk to your first boyfriend.”

“About that...Forrest isn’t my first boyfriend.” Kyle braced for a reaction. He wasn’t planning on confessing to everyone how long he’d been hiding right off the bat, but he was also done with the lies.

“What?” Echoed around the room, and multiple pairs of eyes turned to look at Alex.

“Why are you all looking at me? I never dated him!” Alex exclaimed. And Kyle didn’t know how to react to his friends jumping to that conclusion.

“It was during med school,” he said, saving Alex from the looks. “No one in this room.”

“Except for me,” Forrest chimed in.

“Except for you.” Kyle had turned to look at him when he spoke and couldn’t stop the dopey smile. He was just really happy.

**Author's Note:**

> So this didn't actually make it into the fic, but if you're curious, the film Kyle and Forrest were about to watch was one of the Star Wars films because I headcanon'd that Forrest found out Kyle had never seen them and decided he had to fix that. I actually have kinda a lot of backstory running around in my head for this 'verse that I'll probably never write but who knows, maybe inspiration will hit again.
> 
> I'm aokayinspace on tumblr


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